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Marlin the Elite
Marlin the Elite is a popular machinima made by Thomas Productions, using the Halo 2 and 3 engine. It is based around Marlin, an Elite that some may call dumb. It would be placed in the Comedy genre of machinimas. For more information on Marlin the Elite and other works by their creators, you can subscribe to the Thomas Productions Podcast (called the TPCast) on iTunes, or go to their website (www.thomasproductionsinc.com) http://www.thomasproductionsinc.com. To view the episodes, click here. The machinima came to attention of www.gruntsrus.com http://www.gruntsrus.com, and now sponsors the series. Introduction Marlin the Elite follows the story of Marlin, as he goes on crazy adventures throughout different places with different people. The Marlin series has a relatively large fanbase. The episodes are usually around 7-10 minutes long, and the shorts are usually around 2-6 minutes long. Each season (the show is currently in it's second) is ten episodes long. In every episode, someone that Marlin meets will die, whether it's an explosion, or something more humorous. This excludes Lemon Man and Marlin's grandmother. Characters Each episode features Marlin and other characters, some exclusive to that episode. Marlin Marlin has appeared in all episodes. He is somewhat dumb, and comical without knowing it. He is the star of the series. He is played by Layne. Billy-Bob Billy-Bob is Marlin's friend, even though he doesn't like Marlin. He appeared in the first episode. He was killed by exploding barrels. Renter Guy The Renter Guy, as he is known, rented a Warthog to Marlin in Episode 2. He got ran over multiple times, until finally dying from a Warthog explosion. Furniture Guy The Furniture Guy ran a furniture business, and sold illegal drugs, in Episode 3. He died when he tried to save his drugs from an explosion (caused by Marlin). Hotel Manager The Hotel Manager rented a room to Marlin in Episode 4. He died from a plasma grenade explosion, which was set off by Marlin. Nurse The Nurse worked at a rehab facility and helped to nurse Marlin back to health in Episode 5. The Nurse ended up suiciding from a frag grenade explosion. It is still unclear if the nurse was a man or a woman. Roberto Roberto was Billy-Bob's brother and set out to get revenge on Marlin in Episode 5. He died from a mini-nuclear explosion set off by himself. Mayor (also known as Mr. Mayor) The Mayor of Headlong shunned Marlin by evicting him from the town after an incident with a tank in Episode 6. He was killed by Marlin and his Brute Shot. Grandma First seen in episode 7 (but briefly mentioned in episode 6), Marlin's grandma is an old purple Elite who carries around flame grenades wherever she goes. She loves Marlin, but doesn't really care for anyone else. She was seen in A Message From Marlin: Thanksgiving at her house in Guardian, and was last seen in episode 9. it has been confirmed that she will appear in Season 2, but the actual episode number is still unknown. Grandpa Not a major character, Marlin's grandpa (and grandma's current husband) was only seen in the Thanksgiving special, and is almost as dumb as his grandson. He catches a Turkey (Spartan) for every thanksgiving with his shotgun, and recently destroyed the kitchen with a live grenade he thought was an apple. Ghost Dealer Marlin was teased about having a Mongoose, so he went to Valhalla to buy a Ghost. The dealer there is a very unfriendly person, who has no money and hasn't made a sale in a very long time. He always wanted to play Gears of War, but ever got to, because he was killed by a dysfunctional Ghost. F'Andre "Lemon Man" Norman Klaus Lemon Man was first seen in episode 9. He pulled a prank on Marlin by sending him to a closed area, but became his friend in episode 10. He has appeared in every episode since. His real name, as revealed in episode 14, is F'Andre Norman Klaus. Pink Elite Marlin chased a pink Elite who he thought was a girl so that she could be his friend, but it turned out to be a very manly guy. Coach The Rocket Baseball Coach (who was also Lemon Man's old Coach) hosted tryouts for his Rocket Baseball team, but ended up getting killed by Marlin when a rocket hit Marlin's bat and killed the Coach. Prinicpal The Principle of The Pit High School fired Marlin from his Chemistry Teacher job when his students had a huge rocket riot and totaled the classroom (also killing each other). He is never seen without the Superintendant De Pablo. Dr. Science / Dr. Bottletry Dr. Science and his assistant Dr. Bottletry do some tests on Marlin to see if he is unlucky or not. They chase after Marlin because they are required to, and end up getting killed by a missile pod. Tour Guide The tour guide flew F'Andre and Marlin to a candy factory, and then gave them a tour. He speaks in a very slow, boring voice. His name is "Daisy Jones" Jordan, but in the credits of episode 14 (his only appearance), he was listed as "Al Gore". He was killed by one of his slaves. MORE COMING SOON Character Quotes Ep. 1 "Is that even legal?" - Billybob, after Marlin declares that he will camp out in front of Billybob's house. "Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!..." -Marlin Ep. 2 "I forgot to tell you that this 'Hog has no insurance!" Ep. 10 "McDonalds." - Tour Guide Ep. 13 "I can't believe you picked that one!" - Dr. Science, telling Marlin how dumb he is after picking a dangerous color in an exercise. Seasons Season 1 The first season of Marlin the Elite showed off Thomas Production's machinima techniques, as well as their ability to produce a comedic character and a slight-storyline show. The slight storyline is season 1 is that the mayor of Marlin's town kicked him out for destruction, and he moved to a new, more quiet but small town called the Pit, where he met a new friend. Season 1 contained: *Marlin the Elite *Ep. 2: The Dunes *Ep. 3: Marlin gets a job *Ep. 4: Marlin's Road Trip Vacation *Ep. 5: Roberto's Avenge *Ep. 6: Moving *EP. 7: Marlin's new house *Ep. 8: The dealership *Ep. 9: The playground *Ep. 10: The Elite in pink Season 2 Season two, which is less than halfway over, proved that TP could keep a comedic series going. It was highly anticipated by fans, and enlarged the fanbase as well. Season 2 has no real storyline to it. It also gave fans the chance to participate in an episdoe (14). Season 2 contains: *Ep. 11: Tyrouts *Ep. 12: A Real Job *Ep. 13: Unlucky? *Ep. 14: Candy *Ep. 15: TBA *Ep. 16: TBA *Ep. 17: TBA *Ep. 18: TBA *Ep. 19: TBA *Ep. 20: TBA Season 3 Almost nothing about season 3 has been revealed to the public, besides the fact that there will in fact be a third season. It will also introduce a new permanent character, such as Marlin, Lemon Man, and Grandma. This new character may be in the form of a new friend, enemy, neighbor, or something entirely different. Season 3 will contain: *Ep. 21: TBA *Ep. 22: TBA *Ep. 23: TBA *Ep. 24: TBA *Ep. 25: TBA *Ep. 26: TBA *Ep. 27: TBA *Ep. 28: TBA *Ep. 29: TBA *Ep. 30: TBA Episode Chronology: Season 1 Episode 1 (Halo 2) Marlin gives a tour of his penthouse, and then heads over to his friend's house. It turns out that his friend doesn't like Marlin very much, and ends up getting killed because of Marlin. Episode 2: The Dunes (Halo 2) Marlin takes a train ride to a local city that is host to some dunes. Marlin, being as reckless as possible, totals the car he is given in the dunes. He is given a fine of 600 McBillion dollars, a running gag in the series. Episode 3: Marlin Gets a Job (Halo 2) Marlin, realising that he needs some furniture, sets out to buy some. It turns out that he needs money to buy some, so he gets a job as a construction worker, but ends up in a small drug-related company. Realizing what must be done, he takes action and destroys the drugs, killing the dealer in the process. Episode 4: Marlin's Road Trip Vacation (Halo 2) Marlin realizes that he has been going on almost a killing rampage, so he decides to take a vacation to get away from the madness. He checks in a hotel, and clogs the hotel's famous Manurefall. When it ends up unclogging itself, Marlin accidentally kills the hotel owner. He flees, and gets run over by a train. Episode 5: Roberto's Avenge (Halo 2) After the trauma of getting hit by a train, Marlin checks into rehab at a beautiful rehab center. He is then relocated to a much lower-grade facility, where he meets his friend's Billy Bob's brother, Roberto. Roberto wants to avenge his brother, by killing Marlin, but ends up killing himself. Episode 6: Moving (Halo 2) Marlin wants a new vehicle, so he steals a military tank. He uses it to destroy the town, and the mayor stops him. Marlin is then evicted from his town. Episode 7: Marlin's New House (Halo 3) Marlin's grandma helps him look for a new house. He looks in Valhalla, where trades one of his precious Warthogs for a Mongoose, and then finds a small, cozy room in the friendly neighborhood of The Pit. Episode 8: The Dealership (Halo 3) Marlin is teased for being an Elite and owning a Mongoose, so he is pressured into going to a dealership. He ends up destroying all of the Ghosts there, and the Ghost dealer is also killed. Episode 9: The Playground (Halo 3) Marlin's new neighbor, nicknamed "Lemon Man" for his yellowish appearance, tells Marlin about a new playground. Marlin's grandma drives him there, where he is shot at a lot but not killed. He and his grandmother are kicked out of the playground. Episode 10: The Elite in Pink (Halo 3) Lemon Man tells Marlin about a new crashed Pelican. He goes to check it out, where he meets a pink Elite. He chases the Elite around, thinking that it's a cute girl, and asks to be friends. The Elite ends up being a man, and Marlin runs away. Episode Chronology: Season 2 Episode 11: The Tryouts (Halo 3) Lemon Man tells Marlin about the age-old sport of "Rocket Baseball". Marlin is up for tryouts, and journeys to Standoff for them. When he incredibly makes the team, he spoils it by killing the team captain during practice on the day of the big game. The coach is also killed a few moments later, by Marlin again. Episode 12: A Real Job (Halo 3) Marlin learns that he needs to pay off his first mortgage, so he gets a job as a high school chemistry teacher. He doesn't know a thing about what he's supposed to be teaching, so he takes the teens out to teach them about rockets. The roudy students end up killing each other, and Marlin is fired on the spot. Episode 13: Unlucky? (Halo 3) The latest Marlin episode, this one was released simultaneously with another Marlin video (see Fan episode below). It starts out with a crook from the Pit stealing Marlin's Mongoose. Lemon Man aids him in getting it back, but when it explodes, Marlin realizes that he has bad luck. So he goes to a scientist so that tests can be performed to see if he really is unlucky. Episode 14: Candy (Halo 3) Marlin and Lemon Man win a tour to a candy factory. But they learn that the workers there are actually slaves. So Marlin leads a Slave Revolt. This was the fan episode. Episode 15: ??? (Halo 3) This episode was filmed simultaneously with episode 16, hinting at a Part 1, Part 2 kind of thing, although Thomas Productions has stated otherwise. It will also feature each member of TP with more than one character. It is expected to be one of the shorter episodes, and TP is trying to expand it a bit. It will be released early/mid-May. Episode 16: ??? (Halo 3) This episode may be released at the same time as 15 or possibly a little later " to build suspense". It will feature the same characters as in episode 15 and at least two more. It is expected to be a bit longer than 15. Episode 17: ??? (Halo 3) The only info released about this episode is that it will feature Marlin trying to go into a sort of business. Holiday Shorts Marlin the Elite is also famous for doing short episodes for each holiday. These shorts are called "A Message from Marlin: (Holiday Name). So far, only Layne has been in a Marlin holiday short; the other two people that make the Marlin show (Kevin and Kyle) are not present in any of these. A Message From Marlin: Halloween Marlin, dressed in a Halloween costume, attempts to teach you how to be safe while you Trick-or-Treat. A Message From Marlin: Thanksgiving Marlin's grandpa catches a good dinner, and he, Marlin and Grandma have a Thanksgiving dinner. A Message From Marlin: Christmas Marlin quizzes Santa Claus to see if he is real or not. A Message From Marlin: Valentine's Day Marlin counts down the top ten things people are looking forward to on Valentine's Day. A Message From Marlin: St. Patrick's Day Marlin finds all of the things that are green in The Pit, and then runs into a Leprechaun. A Message From Marlin: Easter Marlin hires a British man to help you find Easter Eggs... or find people. An Announcement From Marlin (a.k.a. A Message from Marlin: April Fool's Day) Marlin announces the sad news that the Marlin series is ending. After explaining that that is just an Apirl Fool's joke, one of Marlin's neighbor's from the Pit pulls pranks on everyone. Marlin tries to stop him by coming up with the best prank of all time... but is it not a joke at all? Ways Characters Have Died (Spoilers) * Ep. 1: Billybob was blown up in a car accident. * Ep. 2: A Warthog exploded in front of the man at the dunes and kills him. * Ep. 3: The drug dealer explodes with all of his drugs in a pool of exploding drug barrels. * Ep. 4: The Hotel worker is stuck by Marlin while inspecting the manure-fall. * Ep. 5: Roberto accidentally kills himself with a mini-nuke while trying to kill Marlin; the Nurse blows herself up with a grenade, thinking it is fruit. * Ep. 6: One Spartan kills himself with a fusion core, the other killed by Marlin in a tank. The Mayor is killed with Marlin's Brute Shot. * Ep. 7: One Spartan is splattered by Marlin. * Ep. 8: The Ghost dealer is killed by a Ghost explosion, and the guy who thinks he's cool is killed by a sticky exploding next to some fusion coils. * Ep. 9: One cop is shot in the head, and after that, he is flamed by Marin's Grandma. * Ep. 10: The Tour Guide is splattered by the pink elite, and then the pink elite gets a tank dropped on him. * Ep. 11: The Scottish guy is killed by a rocket, and the coach and the team member are killed by stray Marlin rockets that he hit with his hammer. * Ep. 12: Marlin's students all end up killing each other while fooling around. * Ep. 13: Dr. Science and Dr. Bottletry go up a man cannon in a Warthog and Marlin kills them with a Missile Pod. * Ep. 14: The tour guide is killed by one of the slaves, and the slaves are blown up while escaping in Hornets by Marlin. Episode Production Process The process of creating an entire episode can take up to a few days, and consists of three major parts. Part 1: "Puppeting" The creators of the show already have a list of the episodes for the season. They look at what episode they are to film next, and talk about what details should go into the episode. From there, they load up the Forged maps and start to act out all of the scenes for the episode. About 10% of the material they film does not end up in the final episode. Acting out these scenes is called "Puppeting". Part 2: Editing Layne, the head of Thomas Productions goes into Theater mode and films all of the scenes needed for the episode. He then captures all of the scenes in the puppeting stage onto a digital video camera, and uploads those scenes from the camera to a computer. He then uses a special editing software to edit the episode, while trying to keep it under 10 minutes. This is where unneeded scenes are cut. Part 3: Voices Layne, who voices Marlin, does all of his voices after editing is complete. He then calls over the other two members of Thomas Productions, and they record their voices for the characters that they played in the puppeting stage. Once this is complete, the episode is watched to make sure everything looks okay, and then it is released on YouTube. Running Jokes This show, along with many other shows, have running gags, or running jokes, that they use on the show. For example, every time Marlin has to pay a certain amount of money, it always ends up being 600 McBillion dollars. Another one is that everybody he meets will die (usually an explosion), except for Lemon Man and Grandma. Also, at the end of every episode, including the holiday shorts, if viewers watch after the credits, there is always a short clip of something funny that happened while filming, such as splattering the camera man or endlessly going through the mancannons on a Mongoose on Narrows. And Finally, every time Marlin is at a door or wants to see of anyone is near him, he calls out "Ding-dong!" over and over again. Trivia *The creators of Marlin the Elite decided to make a machinima in the summer of 2007. One of the creators made a test video, which apparently includes Marlin going crazy, and then telling the audience that he will give a tour of his house. This video takes place in the Halo 2 map Coagulation, although in the actual series, Marlin's house is in Headlong. Very few people have seen this "Intro to the series". *Episode 4 was one of the longest episodes, so the editor had to cut some of it out. Deleted scenes from this episode were released on YouTube shortly after episode 4 was released. *Thomas Productions apparently has a paper with short overviews of all the episodes they have planned to make for Season 2, and also have said that there will be a third season. *Lemon Man's house was created in Forge, in the same map as Marlin's house, however, Lemon Man's was Forged long after the original map was created. *Episode 15 and 16 are said to be very alike, and 16 may even be a sort of continuation of 15. Episode 16 is as far as Thomas Productions has revealed anything about. *Thomas Productions Inc knows what every episode will be that are to be released in season 2, and some of season 3. *Marlin's emblem is a happy face. *Lemon Man's emblem is the skull king. *Grandma's emblem is a radioactive symbol (this was done on purpose as a joke). *Due to the fact that Kevin and Kyle (co-creators of the show) are not in any of the Holiday shorts, Layne (creator of the show) sometimes plays some of the recurring characters. For example, Kyle plays Marlin's grandma, but Layne played her in the Thanksgiving short. Kevin plays Lemon Man, but Layne played him in the April Fool's short. *Episode 12 had more scenes cut than any other episode, and to get as many scenes as possible into the episode, the Marlin theme at the beginning of the episode was altered slightly so that it was shorter. This was also done with episode 13. *A Marlin the Elite Season 1 Compendium is currently being written by a member of Thomas Productions and will be up for download on thomasproductionsinc.com. It will feature all 10 episodes in the first written in book form, and will include things not in the episodes such as things that characters are thinking, etc. *Episode 13 was the first episode puppeted and recorded on an HDTV, so the quality of the episode on YouTube is slightly higher. Message from Marlin: St. Patrick's Day as well as April Fool's were also filmed in HD. *Episode 13 has to do with being unlucky. This was done on purpose. *The movie 1408 was referenced in episode 4. This was the number of the room Marlin resided in. *Thomas Productions has stated that the map "Valhalla" is used as the all-purpose map. It has, so far appeared in episodes 7, 8, 10, 13, and will also be appearing in 14 briefly at the beginning of the episode. *Although Layne used his own account for the fan episode, Marlin has his own XBox Live account. *Episode 14 had a goof. The tour guide's first appearance in Valhalla featured him in Mark VI armor, but during the tour, he had CQB. *Marlin has it's own shop where you can buy products with the logo on it: www.cafepress.com/marlintheelite Gallery